Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray review round-up

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has arrived, bringing with it all the power of Sony Ericsson’s flagship Android smartphones – miniaturised. Is it the best of both worlds, power and portability? See what the experts had to say, here in our Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray review round-up.

CNET UK’s Damien McFerran was likewise impressed by the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, awarding it a solid four out of five, and praising its up to date, user friendly software: “Like its siblings the Xperia Play, Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo, the Xperia Ray runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This is the latest flavour of Google's smart-phone operating system, and it offers a fantastic degree of functionality.”

He also singled out the sharp 3.3-inch 854×480 capacitive touchscreen, noting its impressive eyeball performance. “The Ray's screen is gloriously bright and colourful. It very nearly matches the brilliance of Samsung's Super AMOLED Plus screens. The Ray uses the Mobile Bravia Engine feature also seen in the Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo to offer enhanced images and better viewing in direct sunlight.”

“If you're not dissuaded by the tiny display, then the Xperia Ray is something of a steal. The amount of tech included is stunning, and it's all wrapped up in a wafer-thin frame that will slip effortlessly into any pocket…As a mid-range Android phone, it takes some beating.”

Know Your Mobile’s Tim Webb was just as wowed by Sony Ericsson’s software customisation and social networking skills as the hardware.

“As with most Android devices, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray comes with a number of homescreens already set up for you. In total, there are five you can fully customise and Sony Ericsson has thoughtfully put its Timescape social networking application on the centre one.”

“The Swedish manufacturer has redesigned the interface here, with each of your friend's updates displaying as cards on a Roladex-style graphic. You can scroll through them with a simple swipe. Along the bottom of the widget are the shortcuts to posting a status, opening the app fully or refreshing the feed. It's a much friendlier way of checking your latest updates,” he wrote.

While that tiny, tiny frame may not suit those with great big man hands, Webb wraps it up nicely: “With a full range of top-end features and at a price point you'll struggle to match in the Android space, you could do a lot worse than the Xperia Ray.”